Hello there, my name is everyplatewebreak. How do you do?
Hello there, my name is everyplatewebreak. How do you do?
Member since:09.11.2000
Reviews:33
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The new album from Air is hard to define. A full album of newly recorded tracks (Unlike their last release Premier Symptomes, which was their first mini-album beefed up with rare tracks.) this album is still NOT the follow up to 1998's Moon Safari. It is in fact the official sound track to Sofia Coppola's film The Virgin Suicides. It is important as we judge it to remember that without the context of the film to define the meaning of the tracks. The most outstanding tracks are:
PLAYGROUND LOVE
Five words. Dark Side of The Moon. Not really, but not far off. This low, piano based song sounds like it could of easily been a track from side two of Dark Side. A saxophone enters at different points, helping enforce the sadness of the words. 9/10
BATHROOM GIRL
Another one of the themes, this track instantly hints at a sadness that we all feel. A better word would be human. This is a very human song. The low guitar is nice and understated. 8/10
CEMETARY PARTY
Slow and deliberate, this song reminds me of something but I just can't put my finger on it. The track is going somewhere, but will no be rushed. We once again hear the 'Bathroom Girl' theme. Mmmm. nice 8/10
THE WORD "HURRICANE"
Floydian opening, with funky bass, a Atom Heart Mother type vocal and Masonesque drums. This carries on for a few minutes until the music stops and we get a lone female voice talking about how a Hurricane is formed. As this is going on, we hear low moans, heavy breathing. Fabulous premise of sex. This suddenly turns into an enormous blast of heavy guitar and bass, fading into nothing. Really rather beautiful 10/10
AFTERNOON SISTER
Trade mark Air sounding keyboards support this acoustic guitar track, repturning to one of the earleir themes. A string quartet gives depth where it wasn't expected. Slow, but not plodding. It's simply taking it's time. 8/10
Late seventies Electro in a Kraftwerk style. Basic low keyboard is playing a basic tune, but it is very very effective. The string section returns again, and we suddenly see just how layered the Air sound is. 9/10
DEAD BODIES
Air's version of a Rock 'N' Roll song. Played on Parisian piano, it makes cliched chords sound enlivened. Then we hear a choir, and the r'n'r starts again. Sounding like the perfect offspring between Pink Floyd's paterly Dogs, and the motherly influence of Led Zeppelin's No Quarter 9/10
SUICIDE UNDERGROUND
Speach by a low, slowed voice (Sounding very much like Godspeed You Black Emperah!) This song represents the feelings of love lost/thrown away, and how undefianble it is. A female voice tells: 'Obviously Doctor, You've never been a thirteen year old girl' We hear the story of a group of sisters who have commited suicide. Very, very ethemeral 10/10
The strongest crtitcism to this album I can offer is that the tracks are oddly placed. But as this is a movie soundtrack, and the songs occur as they would in the film, this argument is redundant. This new Air album (follow-up or not) takes them beyond Moon Safari and into a rare commodity - Originality. Sure, we are often reminded of Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Kraftwerk and many of Yoko Ono's excellent sound collages, but these are not taken or borrowed -they are added to. Air will be with us for a long time, and if this is anything to go by, Air are the future.
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I loved the film and although I havent heard much of Air Im sure I would enjoy this album. Great review : )
belaqua 23.06.2002 20:37
I agree, it's a brilliant soundtrack - but I haven't actually seen the film! However I have read the book (it's brilliant) and Air have created their music so that it excatly fits that incredibly atmospheric piece of literature. I would imagine that the music goes a long way in helping the film re-create the book on screen.
EnglishPatient 21.04.2001 02:46
Stunning soundtrack to a wonderful film. The way that voiceover (from the film dialogue) on the closong track is slowed down gives me the creeps. It really is unsettling!
French avant-pop duo Air's third album is the soundtrack to the Sofia Coppola movie about ... more
a brace of teenage sisters whose beauty mesmerises the local boys and whose suicides devastate the community. It's a Gothic, faintly silly romantic fantasy about ...
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Advantages: Captures emotions brilliantly and is easy to listen to. Disadvantages: May be a little repetitive for some, as the same tune is adapted throughout.
Advantages: Captures emotions brilliantly and is easy to listen to. Disadvantages: May be a little repetitive for some, as the same tune is adapted throughout.
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